6 | National News OBAMA COMES TO KENYA OBAMANIA | World’s most powerful man comes to Nairobi for World Entrepreneurship Summit Traders hope to cash in as Obama fever grips Kenya US leader’s visit sparks frenzy among business people selling branded goods bearing his name BY VINCENT ACHUKA @vincentachuka Vachuka@ke.nationmedia.com W ith less than two weeks before US President Barack Obama’s plane touches down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, some entrepreneurs are coming up with all ways to cash in on the buzz the visit is creating. The US leader often creates ripples wherever he goes because of his global appeal and entrepreneurs are not averse to using his name to boost business. In Kenya, the country of his father’s birth, the Obama fever is high with products bearing his name slowly appearing on the streets. The US President, who will be in Nairobi for the sixth World Entrepreneurship Summit, may not need to buy a pen while in the country but already one branded “Obama Smoothline” is on sale in Nairobi. The pen, manufactured by Ma- harashtra Industrial Development Corporation in India, is proving popular according to hawkers and retailers. “The pen is cheap plus it has Obama’s name on it. A number of people who bought it specifically asked for it,” said hawker Philip Mwaura. Local artists and branding companies have joined the frenzy, with a number of people spotted wearing T-shirts and caps with the American president’s name or picture. Mr Patrick Andayi, who prints stationery products near Globe Cinema Roundabout, said he had received over a dozen orders for banners and calendars, never mind that the year is half gone. Maximum benefits “I am clearing a backlog I have then I start working on the Obama merchandise. People are excited by his visit and this is big business for printers,” he said. The Nairobi City County Busi- ness Association has urged traders to take advantage of the opportunities the summit will present. “Entrepreneurs must strive to reap maximum benefits,” said association chairman David Gachuru. “Hotels should up their game and attraction sites should be spruced up. We must make sure we market our city in the very best way possible,” he said. The public transport sector too has been caught up in the Obama frenzy and matatus, which are known to move with trends, are being adorned with Obama themed graffiti, creating booming business for fabricators and artists. A number of operators are re- painting their vehicles while most new owners want their vehicles emblazoned with Obama graffiti, said Mr James Kimani, the managing director of Dodi Body Builders. “Matatus are part of Nairobi culture. Right now the country is besotted with Mr Obama’s visit and investors are willing to pump in money to be part of this,” he said. For instance, a new matatu belonging to Metro Trans that plies the Kasarani route is plastered with portraits of President Obama, former President Abraham Lincoln and activist Martin Luther King. According State House spokes- man Manoah Esipisu, at least 1,500 investors from all over the world, including 250 Ken- FILE | NATION Hosea Owuor displays for sale an Obama T-shirts in Kisumu ahead of US President Barrack Obama’s trip to Kenya. Each T-shirt goes for between Sh1,000 and Sh2,000. yans, are expected to take part in the summit, that runs from July 22-26. A number of African leaders are expected to attend although organisers have insisted that they come as ordinary participants and not as heads of state to avoid deviating attention from the event. The Nairobi County Govern- ment is in the middle of a massive beautification of the capital that has seen major roads recarpeted. In Kisumu, close to the Siaya ancestral home of the US leader, the excitement has reached fever pitch even though it has not been confirmed if he will drop by to see his grandmother. Mr Hosea Owuor, who nor- mally sells Gor Mahia Football Club T-shirts but has diversified to Obama branded ones, said sales had trebled in the past three weeks. Hosting a US president comes with its benefits and challenges CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 easily be deployed as a decoy. Then Air Force One landed. Calmly, President Obama and First Lady Michelle alighted to the estactic adulations by entertaining troupes at the welcoming arena. The convoy then drove to State House as excited crowds that had lined the city streets many hours earlier cheered. The entourage arrived at about 3pm. Dramatic scenes were witnessed on the route from the airport, with secret service agents running along the streets minutes before the convoy arrived at each section where they were stationed. President Obama did not at any time come out of his limousine, but waved through glass windows to the gathering crowds. The two stretch limousines were only a few metres apart, throwing offbalance people who did not know in which one he was riding. That same day, Obama held meetings with members of the business community and, later, had a banquet at State House. At the hotel where he held talks with African investors, they and all the assigned journalists had checked in three hours before. The whole hotel was taken over by US operatives, and everyone invited had to go through strict checks, including by sniffer dogs specially flown in for the task. Everything carried by reporters was checked — pens, notebooks, cameras, whatever. These were placed on a single file that the sniffer dogs went through. Similar scrutiny was done on other people’s work tools. A single pen could be analysed for up to five minutes. President Obama came inside after everybody else was seated. Photo-journalists were accorded 12 seconds to click away, then herded off. Inside the meeting room, the public address system was manned and operated by select people. Other than during the closed-door consultations and at the open State House press conference, no one was allowed to ask questions. To date, it remains a secret where the President spent the night. The Hyatt Regency Hotel that had been booked for the delegation was a no-go zone. There were reports that Mr Obama may have slept at the fortified US embassy quarters. The next day, as President President Obama did not at any time come out of his limousine, but waved through glass windows to the gathering crowds. The two stretch limousines were only a few metres apart, throwing offbalance people who did not know in which one he was riding” Jakaya Kikwete waved the final goodbye to Mr Obama at the airport, the City of Dar es Salaam heaved a collective sigh of relief. Hosting the most powerful man on earth is a nerve-wracking experience. Kenyans, especially those living in Nairobi, cannot expect less. For me, it was memorable to come so close to the man who re-wrote American history and galvanised Africa in ways no one had done before. Mr Mosoba is an editor with The Citizen, a Nation Media Group newspaper published in Tanzania SUNDAY NATION July 12, 2015